Hofstede: Cultural Dimensions of Japan

Running Head: CASE STUDY
HOFSTEDE
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1HOFSTEDE
1. A very popular symbol from Japan will be their national tree, the Sakura or cherry
blossom trees. This symbol is the representation of the fact that life is extremely
fragile yet beautiful.
2. Japan is a country where culture and tradition is given extreme importance. One such
cultural norm is the norm of bowing as a form of greeting.
3. Japan has a score of 46 when it comes to the individualism dimension and the shows
Japan is primarily a very collectivist society and tends to put harmony of people living
together above the importance of expression when it comes to the opinions of an
individual (Hofstede, 2-3). However when this particular dimension is compared with
those of deviation neighbors of Japan it is evident that Japan is clearly the most
individual listed when it comes to the Asians. However when seen from very Western
perspective Japan is a collectivist society. When compared to the United States of
America which has a score of 91 it comes to the individualism dimension, Japan is far
less individualistic. Most people in the USA tend to be very self-reliant and they have
a tendency to display initiative in the business sector. The society in the USA is
extremely individual is taken they tend to look after themselves and only their family,
however that to in exchange of unquestionable loyalty (Bergiel, Bergiel & Upson, 69-
79). Everybody in the society is equal and communication is extremely informal and
direct.
4. When it comes to the dimension of power distance Japan has a score of 54 which
shows that it is almost a borderline hierarchical society. This we can see that power is
mostly an equally distributed and the people of Japan are always conscious about
where they belong in society and the position they hold in various settings because
they act accordingly. This Hierarchical kind of society makes the decisions within the